Mobikes Are Being Replaced by Meituan Bikes in Shanghai
Remember earlier this year when we reported that Mobike won’t be a thing in the future? Well, that day has finally arrived. Meituan-Dianping – the food delivery platform which acquired Mobike last April – has officially begun replacing Mobikes with Meituan bikes, reports Shine.
Over the weekend, the first batch of new bikes appeared on the streets of Huangpu district and Pudong New Area. The new bikes are much different than the old models. First, the primary color has changed from the iconic orange to yellow, Meituan’s representative color. In addition, the new bikes can only be unlocked through the Meituan app. The Mobike app and mini program in WeChat won’t do the job anymore.
READ MORE: Mobike No More: Ride-Sharing App Changed to 'Meituan Bike'
Image via The Paper
If it’s any comfort, all the data – including credits and monthly passes – from the Mobike app will be completely preserved and transferred to the Meituan app. Users can register and log into the app with their original Mobike account.
“Together we plan to replace 40,000 bikes this time,” said Zhu Qian, director of public relations of Mobike. According to Zhu, they will strictly follow the regulations of the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission. They plan to release as many bikes as the number of old bikes they have recycled and add no more to the current total number of the bikes on the streets of Shanghai.
Image via The Paper
Without a doubt, netizens are having a hard time accepting the change.
“Why can’t they keep the old design?” asked one netizen. “I find the new look quite ugly and I can easily mistake it for an Ofo bike.”
“Once there were assorted bikes in different colors from the spectrum,” commented another. “Now only two colors remain.”
Image via The Paper
It remains to be seen whether this change will breathe new life into the shared bike industry. After being acquired by Meituan, Mobike brought the company a profit of RMB15 billion (USD2.2 billion) in 2018, as well as a deficit of RMB45 billion (USD6.5 billion).
READ MORE: Mobike Raises Prices for Shanghai Users... Again
[Cover image via The Paper]
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